In modern life there are many articles which are typically owned and used by households. These articles vary from cleaning equipment such as mops, brooms, buckets, cleaning fluids and powders, through gardening equipment such as shovels, rakes, hand trowels and the like to even tools, and other miscellaneous articles. These articles are typically used infrequently, such as once a week or even less frequently if they are seasonal in nature. While not in use, these articles need to be stored.
In the past, many different approaches have been taken to provide an efficient and convenient storage system. Some of these devices are intended to be installed in closets, and are referred to as closet organizers. They usually comprise a series of wire racks and hooks which are designed to fit inside a closet or the like. However, often, especially in older homes, there may not be any closet space available to put such organizers in. This is especially true for basements and garages, which are used to store a wide range of goods but may not be fitted with closets.
Therefore, there is a need for a storage system of the sort that can be used on a wall and which provides an opportunity to store various types of articles in an organized and efficient manner. In the past there have been proposed, primarily for retail applications a hanging storage device which is referred to as a slot wall. In the slot wall, a panel is typically provided which can be mounted onto a wall. The panel is grooved or milled to form a plurality of slots, and then hanger brackets are mounted in the slots. Merchandise can then be placed on the hanger brackets and favourably displayed. An example of this type of device is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,416 to Petersen et al.
A problem with the invention of Peterson et al is that it is made from a high density polystyrene foam which is coated with a surface laminate after being milled or routed. Having to form the panel, mill the slots and laminate the outer surface involves three separate manufacturing steps which increases the cost of the finished product. Further, milling or routing the slots after the panel is formed causes the slots to have a symmetry about a horizontal axis. Thus if the slots are formed to have a thin top lip it will be necessary to have a thin lower lip which is fragile and prone to breakage. Lastly the use of a panel may be appropriate in a retail setting but for residences, this is too large and unwieldy.
Other patents which include organizers of the type with grooves or slots are:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,976 DeGirolamo January 10, 1995 U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,987 Sawatsky August 16, 1994 U.S. Pat. No. 5,138,803 Grossen August 18, 1992 U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,753 Radek August 26, 1986 ______________________________________